Michael was a little taken aback by the appearance of his teammates.
It wasn’t that there couldn’t be strong old Cultivators or Awakeners—Old Man Liu, for example, looked pretty aged. But the aura emitted by these men was… different.
It was the kind of vibe you’d expect from a typical store owner.
Ordinary.
Even the receptionist had more presence than them. Then again, working for an organization like the Supers Association, she was probably not ordinary herself.
These men might have become Supernaturals at a mature age, Michael thought, but he didn’t dwell on it. His thoughts were mostly passing observations.
Realizing these were the people he was meant to meet, Michael moved closer to them.
Fortunately, he didn’t need to introduce himself, which would have made things awkward. The receptionist saw him immediately and addressed the group.
“This is your teammate for today, Mr. Mill,” the receptionist said, gesturing to a tall man with a slightly muscular build, carrying a huge bag on his back.
Michael’s first impression of Mr. Mill was… weak. Ridiculously weak.
As Michael’s stats had grown, so had his perception, and looking at Mr. Mill now, he felt that even his Level 5 self could overpower the man.
Of course, it was just a thought.
“Him?” Mr. Mill glanced at Michael with suspicion, his expression clearly disapproving. “Miss Grace, when you said you had a reliable teammate for us, I expected more. What do I need a new Cultivator for? To die? Even Michael, who was an experienced fighter, died!”
Michael’s eye twitched. He wanted to retort but managed to hold himself back.
It was obvious this man was referring to someone else who happened to share the same name as him, but it still made him feel uneasy.
It felt like a bad omen. Continue your saga on empire
Still, from Mr. Mill’s words, Michael learned the name of the receptionist: Grace. The one he always went to. She seemed quite popular.
But what really caught his attention was the mention of death.
Michael’s expression darkened slightly. Someone had died.
He’d always assumed such things were normal in this new reality. It was why he was cautious about hunting in the real world. But hearing it directly made his chest feel heavy.
To be honest, as his powers grew, so did his confidence. Subconsciously, he’d started to dismiss the dangers of the cracks. Mr. Mill’s words, however, served as a wake-up call.
That didn’t mean Michael planned to become cowardly or lose confidence in his powers. After all, what was the point of growing stronger if his mindset didn’t improve?
But just because he could level up like it was a game didn’t mean this was one.
This was the real world.
And here, he could die for countless reasons.
As for Mr. Mill’s disdain, Michael didn’t really care.
With over 200 evolution points on him right now, losing out on the income from a Level 1 crack—especially one he’d have to share with others—wasn’t worth his time.
The earnings he’d gotten from the Level 2 crack in the Ape Region had exceeded his expectations even before entering the crack. Of course, this was also thanks to Mira and Lilian.
Even if he tried to take a similar approach with this team, the payout would likely be far lower.
Worse, they might not be willing to share as Mira and Lilian had. That was understandable, given the smaller pot to split and the possible entitlement of people who might contribute nothing yet expect equal rewards.
The thought immediately repulsed Michael.
Before Grace could respond, Michael spoke up.
“He’s right, Miss Grace. It’s better for him to go with people he’s comfortable with.”
Michael felt a small sense of relief at finally learning the receptionist’s name. He’d never asked, nor had she offered it, as their conversations always went straight to business.
Besides, they’d only known each other for three or four days—not nearly enough time for the kind of familiarity Mr. Mill had just displayed.
But Michael wasn’t done.
“Also, please cancel any schedule I have with a team tomorrow and apologize to them for me. Please try to apply for a solo crack entry in the next few days. I’ll come by tomorrow to confirm.”
“Okay, Mr. Norman.”
“Thank you.”
With that, Michael left.
At the moment, he didn’t need much money beyond what was required for his basic needs, which was why he still planned to enter cracks.
Even though he had more funds now, it wasn’t the right time to purchase source liquid from the association.
As for going to the other Supers Association branch in Woodstone City, he doubted he’d get the same treatment Brian could provide.
So making money wasn’t urgent but it was still needed.
For now, he had everything he needed: evolution points and a few hundred dollars to sustain himself.
Michael saw no benefit in joining a team to enter cracks at this point.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
With the evolution points he had now, Michael was finally confident enough to attack the gargoyle that had held him back in the Land of Origin.
After so many days, he was ready to take the initiative.
After saying what he needed to, Michael left the group of four and exited the Association.
The sun was already setting, and though Michael still felt the weight of the day’s work, the anticipation bubbling inside him for what was to come gave him a surge of energy.
Without wasting time, Michael headed back to the hotel where he was staying. On the way, he stopped by the mall to grab something for himself—and for his body back in the Land of Origin—to eat.
—
A/N:
I added this to Chapter 69, by the way.
“Also, the number Lilian quoted was the one she had placed in her location in the Land of Origin.
Michael still had a few slightly damaged black ape corpses stored in his Mark of Origin for {Undead Revival}. He hadn’t forgotten he needed two more undead to reach his max limit at Level 10.”